Mon, 29 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.
26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.
Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
The book of Ezekiel begins with a vision in which he describes these four strange and mighty creatures, and then Ezekiel describes his vision of heaven that he sees above the four creatures.
The chapter ends rather abruptly, like a cliff hanger. Everything builds to the point where we are about to hear what Ezekiel is about to be told. But we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out with the voice says.
It is all so strange and wonderful and highly symbolic. It is hard to know exactly what to make of it all, and some people have spent an enormous amount of time and effort to decipher the meaning behind every little detail of the vision. There might be some value to doing that, but I’m not so sure that kind of speculation is wise. At least for our purposes here, I’ll stick to what is clear: the point of the vision is to bring home the awesome majesty of God.
What do we learn from this?
Ezekiel at his commissioning, like Isaiah before him, has a vision of the glory of God. And like Isaiah, Ezekiel is thrown prostrate before the awesome majesty of God. He realizes that he is a creature before the Creator. He realizes he is finite before the Infinite. And although we don’t see him explicitly stating this as Isaiah does at his commissioning, he realizes that he is sinful before the Holy.
When we get but a glimpse of who God really is, it strikes us to the ground. There is no posturing before God. There is no sense of our own worth. God doesn’t owe us anything except His wrath at our sin.
Where is Christ in this passage?
As we enter the next chapter, we will see God speak to Ezekiel and command him to stand. The Spirit of God then enters him to enable Ezekiel to stand before God.
Make no mistake about this. Ezekiel is just like you and me. Ezekiel has sinned. He has violated God’s law many times and in many ways. How is wicked and sinful Ezekiel enabled to stand before a holy God who has promised that “the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous“?
The only way Ezekiel can stand before God and not be under God’s wrath is if his sin has been punished and he has been given the perfect righteousness that he lacks in and of himself. The only way Ezekiel can stand before God is because he is trusting in the substitute that God will provide for his salvation. The only way Ezekiel can stand before God is because of Jesus Christ.
For Ezekiel, he looked forward to the day when this substitute would come to save him from his sin. And so he offered the sacrifices (at least until he was carried into captivity and the temple was destroyed) that were commanded as foreshadows of the real Sacrifice that was to come. We look back on what God has done in sending the Second Person of the Trinity to live the perfect life and to die on a cross to save us from our sins.
It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we are enabled to stand before God and to enter into His presence, as Ezekiel did in his vision in chapter 1.
